Level Up your Back to School with These 3 Tips
Welcome back! We know many of you are NextGenMath.com experts and/or have had professional development to ensure you’re ready to start the year strong…but here are 3 additional tips that can supercharge your Back to School math plans:
Readiness Diagnostic - quickly assess incoming students’ proficiencies
Start-of-Year Platform Setup - organize and customize NGM to suit your needs and save you time
Open PD - Ask us your questions, get more tips
Use the Readiness Diagnostic to Kick Off the Year with Confidence
Back-to-school season is full of big feelings — for us and for our students. New faces, fresh routines, and that perennial mystery: Who exactly are my students this year?
Enter: the Readiness Diagnostic.
If you’re new to it (or just need a refresher), the Readiness Diagnostic is one of Next Gen Math’s most teacher-friendly tools for getting a clear snapshot of where students are as they start the year. Each diagnostic zeroes in on the key skills and concepts students need for success in the grade ahead — not everything from the prior years, just the essentials that matter most for what’s coming.
A Pulse Check, Not a Pop Quiz
The Readiness Diagnostic isn’t about labeling students or sparking panic over unfinished learning. It’s about knowing which skills students are bringing with them so you can plan smarter.
Think of it as your academic GPS: it shows you where students are starting, so you can chart the best route forward — whether that’s a fast track, a few scenic detours, or some pit stops for review.
When you administer the diagnostic, you’ll get:
A clear breakdown of students’ readiness skills and their current proficiency levels
Skill-specific performance data by domain, target, standard, and stem
An easy-to-read results matrix that highlights individual and class-wide patterns
And because results link directly to Next Gen Math Tier 2 and Tier 3 activities, you can move seamlessly from “data” to “action” — no extra prep required.
(Translation: fewer Sunday night spirals.😵💫)
Learn More: Diagnostics tutorial
Get Organized: Start-of-Year Setup
The first weeks of school are a little like moving into a new house—you bring in all your best stuff, arrange it just so, and vow to keep everything neat forever. (We believe in you.🤩)
Your Next Gen Math platform deserves the same “new home” treatment. A little thoughtful setup now will save you from mid-year “Where did I put that?” panic.
Why it matters:
Your Assignment Data page is a clean slate right now — no clutter, no chaos. Your My Collection page, though, is your permanent library of lessons, activities, and assessments. When it’s organized, it becomes your year-long shortcut to “Found it!”
Tips for a strong start:
Make way for a new year. Create a folder for all of last year’s work (e.g., “2024–2025”) and move everything from My Collection into it.
Build your foundation. Create one big folder for “2025–2026” with unit or quarter subfolders inside.
Name things for your future self. Instead of “Warm-Ups,” try “Warm-Ups – Q1” or “Unit 4 Practice.”
Add early assignments now. Upload the first few weeks’ materials before things get hectic. Bonus points: Use the Retake feature to schedule assignments ahead of time and track growth.
Tag from day one. Our Labels don't just come in pretty colors, they save you from endless scrolling later by making everything easier to find. Try labels that match your routines — “Warm-Ups,” “Unit 3 Review,” or “Friday Quick Checks.”
Set up PLC teams now. If you collaborate with colleagues, create your PLC teams at the beginning of the year so sharing assignments is quick and painless.
Open PD Sessions–Everyone is Welcome!
Missed your school’s Next Gen Math PD?
Just joined a school that’s already using NGM and need to catch up?
Or, maybe you’re looking for fresh ideas, answers to burning questions, or a little extra hands-on help?
Whatever the reason, our new Open PD sessions are here for you.
These free, interactive sessions are open to all teachers and administrators from schools using Next Gen Math.
Here’s what to expect:
Choose your breakout - Basics (assignments, data), Advanced features (data-based intervention / reteaching, retakes, etc.) or Other (you tell us!).
Ask questions, get help for your specific needs, get hands-on creating assignments, reviewing data/intervention, etc.
Expect some "aha!" moments and time-saving tips.
Available dates:
Thursday, August 21st, 3:30-4:30pm PT
Tuesday, September 2nd, 3:30-4:30pm PT
Thursday, September 18th, 3:30-4:30pm PT
Tuesday, October 7th, 7:30-8:30am PT